I'm Right Here
by KaizokunoAojiroi
Summary: Takes place after Dressrosa. A vicious attack leaves Nami in serious condition, but aid from the Straw Hat's ally, Law, brings healing in more one way and for more than one person. LawxNami, fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again! Thanks so much to everyone who reads, favorites and comments! I appreciate every single one! As way of update, I am working on a sequel to Love on the Battlefield and am thinking about making it a series of shorts about Law's family :-). I have other stories on the way as well. Stay tuned!**

**This is my first story with chapters; it likely won't have too many, but I feel like it was the most complete out of my other stories at the moment. I have the habit of wanting to wait until things are perfect before moving ahead. Of course if you wait until things are 'perfect' you'll never do anything at all, so here goes! I hope you enjoy it! **

**Japanese words:**

**Ikuzo- let's go!**

**Urusse- shut up**

* * *

The first sensation that Nami's damaged awareness latched onto in its climb back to reality was the fact that she was weightless- weightless and moving. It was at once a peaceful and unsettling feeling and it reminded her of when she was a child and would close her eyes while swinging just so she could feel her stomach do that silly flip-flop.

Slowly though, the arms that were holding her up began to imprint in her back as her mind cautiously took in more of the surrounding world. The swaying turned into a jolting lope and for the first time since she became aware of more than the nothingness that seemed to stretch on forever in her mind as a predecessor of happenings before this moment, she realized that there was another person in the fractured picture that her dawning consciousness was painting for her.

Whoever it was, they were breathing hard; if she were any judge of such things, though, it was the rapid respiration of someone who was stressed instead of fatigued.

Her head rested against soft material that was firm underneath and the multitude of smells that clung to it all conspired together to prod her memory about who this might be. One scent in particular decided it for her, though: a soft citrus that immediately brought the kitchen of the Sunny into her mind's eye; of countless memories of catching a whiff of the same scent when a hand reached over her shoulder to place a plate of food before her. It was the smell of the dish soap that one crewmember still preferred from his days onboard a floating restaurant and that always seemed to hang around his person. She had often wondered if he insisted upon it because it reminded him of home.

Sanji.

As if to confirm her deduction, the cook of the Straw Hats spoke: "Hang on, Nami-san, we're almost to the Sunny!"

His voice sounded strange to her ears; it was drawn and ragged around the edges. It sounded like a world of worry and she had no doubt that it was because of her; the problem was, she couldn't remember why. She wanted nothing more than to open her eyes, reassure him that she was fine and then order his perverted hands to remove themselves from her person. She couldn't though-she was unable to take that last step to consciousness and communicate with the world just on the other side of her eyelids. Her voice wouldn't obey her will to speak and her arms were jelly folded at her waist. It was unnerving, but at that moment, she was still too groggy to panic.

To focus her mind on something other than the fact that she was a stranger in her own body, Nami listened to the fast, rhythmic thump of Sanji's heart through his shirt. The reassuring beat and her movement through the air in his arms pulled her once again into the blackness that she had so recently surfaced from.

Her mind perked up at the sound of her name. Her fogged senses told her that it had come from more than one source, though how they had been able to discern anything intelligible from the echoing gibberish that she was hearing right now was beyond her. A dull thud in her right temple kept time with her pulse and made her jaw ache. She was starting to regret waking up again.

A hand grasped her arm and as the voice of her captain cleared away the fog, the rest of the sounds resolved into understandable speech.

"Nami!"

Sanji's chin just brushed the top of her head as he shook his own. That barest touch sent echoes of pain bouncing inside her skull.

"It's no good, Luffy- I've been trying to wake her up the whole way here"

She felt Luffy gently push some hair at her temple aside; the strands around the source of the pain were caked close to the skin and longer pieces stuck and tugged on the side of her cheek.

"What happened?"

"When I got to where Nami was, I found her like this on the ground with a bunch of villagers standing around. A kid told me that a group of guys jumped her, probably for the log pose. He said that she fought back- took one of them out with lightning- and that's when another one of them did this" Sanji gestured by gently raising the arm that supported Nami's back.

A clipped '_che_' come from somewhere near her feet and she recognized the sound easily as Zoro's preferred form of sound without the burden of actually speaking.

Luffy let the strands of hair fall back, "Who did this?"

Her captain's voice was even and serious. Nami had heard this dangerous tone before and could picture his straight-lined mouth and the glare in his eye. She almost pitied that sorry lot that had jumped her. Almost.

At each waking turn, Nami was remembering more of what had happened. She _had_ been jumped. The fact that she had suddenly found herself surrounded before the store front window she had been looking into had, quite honestly, shocked her. She was the Straw Hat's 'Cat Burglar' and former slave of the Arlong Pirates. She was resourceful, knew how to read her environment and how to get herself from point A to point B safely and, unseen, if she so chose. She hadn't noticed anyone sizing her up as she had walked through the market, and to be surrounded almost the instant that she had stopped to admire a dress spoke of a premeditated precision, an uncanny level of perfection at being inconspicuous, and a good agreement of coordination since it had to be executed flawlessly by many people.

Actually, she couldn't tell how many there were. There had been so many hands, legs, and snarling faces that separating them into individual human beings had been impossible. The latter had only grown in number and ugliness after she had managed to dispatch one of them with her Clima-Tact. It had been shortly after that that she had heard a grumbled slur in her direction and then a fist had slammed into the side of her head. The world had stopped then- all sound, all sensation, all awareness of her body in space and time- even the leering men had been suspended and then removed from existence. Her vision had come to her aid briefly as she lay curled on the ground and she watched the scuffling feet of her attackers as they ran away, chased by villagers wielding weapons. She had had no opinion on the matter of their retreat- no happy thought for the fact that she had been rescued, and shortly after that she had sunk into a calm blackness and stayed there until she had resurfaced again in Sanji's arms.

Sanji was rolling his r's; a trait of his that popped up when he was especially angry or effected by something.

"The village leader is waiting for you- he'll tell you about the group that did this- apparently they're well known around here. I'm going to get Nami to Chopper."

"Oi, Cook, did you forget? Chopper is on the other end of this island with Franky and Brook buying supplies. It's a good 2 day's journey away." Though spoken matter of factually, Zoro's voice also held an undertone of concern.

Sanji's hands tightened around her shoulder and under her knees where he supported her.

"We have to do something. If this was just a regular hit to the head, she would of have woken up by now. Something's wrong."

Luffy's voice sounded confidently, "Torao's here now- he'll help. Take Nami to the Sunny, I'm sure Traffy will be waiting to see what happened- he heard her scream too"

That's right. This stop wasn't just for supplies- it was also made for a chance to meet up with their allies, the Heart Pirates. Since Dressrosa, Luffy had been adamant that they continue their alliance. Law had given Luffy a drawn out sigh and affected the air of one dealing with an obnoxious toddler, but much to everyone's surprise, the Heart captain had agreed. Never one to overlook an advantage, Law had to agree that their crews got along fine and that they were of mutual benefit to each other; so why not? The two crews had been meeting regularly at random sites that they took turns in choosing and had, among other things, been sharing info and speculations about movement within the World Government and otherwise just enjoying each others company. That two separate pirate crews should co-exist so well together was unheard of. "Pathetic" as fellow Supernova Kidd had spat out one day that the three crews happened to be on the same island. The strong front of two allied crews and immediate problems of his own had kept the burly captain of the Kidd Pirates from doing anything else besides heckling.

Nami could feel Sanji's tension. "Luffy, I know that we've been through quite a bit with Law, but do you trust him to help Nami? This alliance is still fairly new and that leaves Law all but alone aboard the Sunny with Nami and Robin."

When Luffy spoke, his voice was firm and carried a tone of authority that ended discussion on this matter where Law was concerned.

"You weren't there with us when we fought Doflomingo- I trust him, Sanji. He won't hurt Nami. Besides, you'll be there."

A hand was again laid on her arm, "Hang in there, Nami! Torao with help you! Zoro and I will take care of the guys that did this. Zoro- ikuzo! "

"Don't ogle the pretty girls on the way, crap cook- get back to the Sunny!", Zoro taunted Sanji before running off after Luffy. The sounds of their pounding feet faded.

"Urusse!" Sanji's growled response to the swordsman was followed by a sudden shift as the cook stretched his long legs again.

Nami had no idea where they were now- had no clue how close the Sunny might be, but Sanji kept a level pace without flagging. Nami drifted in a fog; not quite aware of her surroundings and yet not sinking into the blissful darkness again. Gasps and exclamations from the people they passed and other town noises all blended together to make an ambient mix in her perception. The scent of citrus that clung to the Straw Hat cook was her only familiar anchor.

Sanji's shoes suddenly sounded on wood and Nami could hear the grating cackle of gulls and water lapping all around her. The hand on her shoulder and under her knees tightened their grip and pulled her close as Sanji bent over her. She felt the tall cook bow slightly and then, with a quick jerk, he vaulted into the air. The rushing wind whipped her hair and sent it flying behind her. Just when she thought that they were going to continue to fly on forever, Sanji uncurled himself and nimbly touched down with one leg. He skipped lightly off again and this time, landed on the grass deck of the Thousand Sunny. Nami surmised that the cook had chosen to dampen their landing by hitting the railing first.

"Nami!" Robin's concerned voice sounded from somewhere to Nami's right. A wave of comfort rolled over her at the sound of the other woman's voice. Being the only females on the crew had naturally brought the two close, but Nami had found more than the camaraderie that accompanies like genders-in Robin, Nami had found a steadfast friend and an older sister ready to listen and share advice. As hurried footsteps signaled Robin's swift approach, Sanji drew in air:

"Law!"

Robin reached them and Nami could feel the older woman surveying her. Then, a hand was laid gently on the back of her head, like one might a child, and Robin's low voice queried the navigator's inert form, "Nami?"

Sanji didn't repeat his call for the other captain. Law must have been close by. Indeed, soon Nami heard fast footfalls and Robin drew away. The immediate, close presence of another person was at her side and for a fraction of a second, it hesitated; assessing. Then slender fingers grabbed her wrist, knuckles brushing the bare skin of her waist as they did so. The fingers pressed deeply into the area just below the pad of her thumb and went still when she felt her pulse beat against them. Another set of lithe fingers pulled locks of hair away from her temple. The pieces that had stuck before pulled away with a crackling sound and the rich scent of iron floated past her nose. Nami could envision the doctor's tall nodachi resting against a black-clothed shoulder and his brow furrowing into a frown as he evaluated the navigator's wound.

"Has she woken up yet?"

The rustling of fabric told Nami that Sanji was shaking his head.

"About how long has she been unconscious?"

"Oi, why does any of this matter? Just help her, Law!"

Never one to rise to the provocations of either Sanji or Zoro, Law's voice remained even when he replied.

"It matters a great deal, Black Leg-ya. Are you going to continue hindering any help that I can give her or can you come up with a number that I can work with?"

Sanji growled, his hands tightening slightly on Nami's body. Then, he drew in air as he thought, his chest pushing against her lank form.

"From the time we heard her scream until the time I found her…." Sanji calculated a rough estimate and gave his time to the Heart captain.

The fingers were snatched away from her temple and wrist and she heard the distinctive clank of metal as Law took his nodachi in hand again.

"That's not good- she should have regained consciousness by now. I assume that Tony-ya will have no objections if I make use of his infirmary."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Thanks very much for all of the kind reviews! You guys know how to encourage a soul :-). Sorry that this is a bit shorter than the other. It happened this way because I already had chapters 1-3 pretty much written as an entire story and am now having to go back and edit and separate them. This was the best place for a break between chapter 2 and 3. I hope you enjoy it! **

* * *

The scents of the ship's infirmary were a mixture of wood, clean linen and sharp medicines and they completely overpowered the calming citrus fragrance from Sanji. The cook laid the limp Nami on a bed, careful to let her head gently down to the pillow. Sounds to her right told her where Law was; the captain was rummaging through drawers, orienting himself with Chopper's layout. Robin drew a blanket up to Nami's waist, something that the navigator was grateful for as the prospects of being examined by a strange doctor elicited a sudden twinge of embarrassment.

Law came up the side of the bed and she heard him set his sword against the wall. She felt him draw close and lean over her. A thumb rested gently on her eyelid while the other fingers buried themselves in her hair, steadying his hand on her scalp. With a careful motion, Law raised her eyelid.

With any knock to the head, concussion or worse is always feared and the pupils are a good way of gauging any potential damage. It took Nami a few seconds to realize that Law had raised her eyelid and was studying her pupil now, even as she was recalling the medical fact from her days as acting doctor of the ship. Instead of looking into the face of Law, she saw only blackness. He allowed the eyelid to fall back into place and repeated the procedure with the other. Again, no grey-eyed, black-haired man came into view- there was only darkness. Growing fear made her heart pound- why couldn't she see him?

At the bottom of the bed, Sanji paced and assaulted the other captain with clipped questions. Nami could feel his aggravation through the floorboards.

"Why won't she wake up?

Still leaning over Nami, close enough that she felt his exhaled consonants when he spoke, Law responded, "That is what I am trying to find out, Black Leg-ya."

Sliding a hand under her head and supporting her chin with the other, Law gently picked her head up and turned it to better see the contusion.

He drew away and rummaged around beside him for a few moments before he was back at her side. Several light objects fell on her chest and the sound of a bottle opening was immediately followed by the strong smell of peroxide. There was the sound of sloshing liquid and then Law was leaning over her again. The smell of the astringent grew very strong and then soft gauze was being dabbed at her temple.

It hurt.

Not just the sting that one would expect, but it was a deep hurt. An ache went down the entirety of her face and sent throbbing pulses through and across her skull. Though he was being gentle, even the little bit of pressure that Law was applying around the edges of the injured area was agony.

Law took one of the objects off of her chest and wetted it with the peroxide. They must be extra pieces of gauze Nami reasoned, thinking through the medical procedures and habits that Law might be following in order to keep her from focusing on the building pain in her head. With each gentle swipe, it felt as though he was going to push right through bone itself.

In the back ground Sanji continued to mutter threats to the ones who had done this to 'Nami-swan' and to ply the occasional question to the doctor. Law answered him each time; patiently, if not absently, fully focused as he was with his unresponsive patient. Robin had remained quiet the entire time that Law was examining the younger woman. Nami had no doubt that Robin didn't want to interrupt the doctor's concentration and was opting instead to wait for Law to tell her if he needed anything.

Law had stopped swabbing and was gently feeling around where the skin was broken. His trained hands felt down to the base of her head and then worked their way back to her temple. The closer he got to the actual wound, the more the pain grew and the deeper the throbbing pulse went. Bile rose in her throat and the very thought of throwing up and the resulting pressure that hurling would create in her head made her want to sob.

Panic and a deep fear that transcended anything she had ever experienced before had settled in her chest- she was alone. Two of her nakama and an ally were right beside her but she felt that she couldn't have been further away from them had the separation been physical. No amount of will was giving her limbs the strength they needed to reach out to them; her vision was gone and though she begged them to somehow know that she was there- _right there_- listening to everything that they said, no one seemed to notice. This was worse than the loneliness of Arlong's tyranny, and more painful for the worry that they would declare her unreachable and stop trying altogether and leave her alone in the dark.

_Robin! Sanji! I'm here! _

Hot liquid swelled behind her closed eyes and a single tear escaped and trailed down her cheek. Law noticed immediately and his hands fell away from her head. A large but lean hand rested gently on her shoulder.

"Nami-ya?", Law's voice was hushed

Beside her, Robin stirred, "Is she waking up?"

Law was silent for a moment and then his hand was gone.

"No. I don't think she can, though I believe that she may be aware of us, if even a little"

Nami's heart soared- bless this man! She didn't understand how he could possibly know that she was in there listening, but at last a ray of light was dawning. Her elation was short-lived; pressure had built to the point now that her entire head throbbed in pain. More frightening was that her senses were again slipping, though it felt different from the previous times when she'd lost consciousness. The words that Law and Robin were saying weren't just fading in and out, the very realization that they were talking was slipping away from her. One moment she could feel Law's hand on her flesh and the blanket across her legs and another it was gone. Her senses' ability to perceive and process her surroundings was becoming tenuous at best- it felt like they were failing. SHE was failing, and she couldn't even cry out.

Law's voice continued in the same hushed tone, "Nico-ya, I'm sure that I know what the problem is and it isn't good. It was a very hard hit and she needs surgery. Now. There's too much pressure on her brain. "

Beside her, Robin exhaled a tense breath and before she could say anything, Law continued.

"I can help her and, if all goes well, she'll be fine. I need you to get Black Leg-ya out of here and keep him out until I am finished. I need to use my abilities and I fear that if he sees what I have to do, he'll try to intervene. You can trust me to help her, but I need to be alone and I need to start now."

Robin stood where she was, "Understood. I'll think of something to keep him occupied." The older woman started to walk away and then stopped.

"Law-san."

Beside her, the rustling of a drawer's contents stopped.

"At the start, I relied upon Luffy's opinion of you to know how to act. However, I have seen enough of you for myself now to have drawn my own conclusion- I trust you- please help Nami!"

Law released a huff of air and Nami could see the smirk through her closed eyes.

"Of course"

With that, Robin moved away and Nami could hear her in the back ground talking in a low voice to Sanji. The cook's voice rose quickly in protest at being asked to leave the infirmary, but a few more quiet words from Robin finally resulted in a tense release of air from the cook.

"You'd better not hurt her, Law!"

"Sanji-kun, Trafal-san is hardly going to hurt Nami; we're in his way right now- come and help me make something to help Nami regain her strength once she wakes up."

Muffled grumbling carried her nakama away and the door shut, leaving just the two of them; doctor and patient. Law gave a long sigh and then moved to stand by her head.

"If I am correct, Nami-ya, it's possible that you can hear me, and if you can't- well, that changes nothing. If I don't operate, you will die."

Movement followed by the sound of a sword shifting slightly in its scabbard as it was picked up told Nami of his intentions.

"This may feel strange but there will be no pain. I'm going to begin, so relax."

Nami could say nothing, though her heart rate jumped. Her life was in his hands. As his signature Room appeared at his command- passing over her body and leaving a cool tingle on her skin- and the sound of the nodachi clearing its scabbard scraped throughout the room, a second tear followed the path of the first one down her cheek.

"Mes"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all! I apologize for taking this long to update! To be quite honest, I struggled a bit with this chapter- it was mostly written, but there were a few spots that I just wasn't satisfied with. Plus, there were the two major chapters (and subsequent ones) focusing on Law's past and I found that what I had originally planned might not quite fit with the cannon. I know, I know, this is fanfiction- non-cannon elements are what we specialize in!, and actually, the specific parts weren't too vital to my storyline, but I felt much better for having waited. Besides that, I spent a little while trying to figure out how to uncurl myself from the fetal position that Oda-san's revelations put me into...**

**Anyway, this is a bit longer than the others- I hope you don't mind, but I often find that writing stories is a bit like herding cats...they have a mind of their own! **

**I hope you enjoy, and as always, let me know what you think!**

* * *

The shining sickle of a sword blade glinted ominously above her head. Its cruel steel was lit to a smoky grey from an uncertain light source and was wielded by an unseen hand. As she watched, the blade rose slightly then plummeted towards her. Nami flinched and jerked to one side, but her movement was sluggish and wasn't enough to take her out of the path of the falling blade. Desperate, Nami cried out and threw herself to the other side….

…and sat up, yelling in her bed in the infirmary. She hadn't made it completely up; her abrupt return to consciousness had been carefully anticipated and arrested before she could complete the transition. Nami clutched at the hand that restrained her from the front while her panicked gasps pushed her spine against the arm supporting her from behind.

"Gently, Nami-ya, you can't move that quickly yet" The male voice was close by her ear and unmistakably Law's. He was the one that now held her.

A light weight settled on her knee and Robin spoke, "It's alright, Nami- you're going to be fine but you need to be still and rest"

Nami blinked at the graceful hand resting on her blanketed knee then stilled as Robin swam into view. And Nami rejoiced!

"Robin..." She could see Robin!

The older woman tended to show little emotion, though any who knew her understood the deep ocean that waited just below the calm exterior. Her face was pinched in worry but she managed an encouraging smile as Nami looked at her. Nami turned to the man who held her and met grey eyes. They were intense and had likely been analyzing her since she first burst back into wakefulness.

"Law" Her own voice sounded thin and weak to her ears, but she felt like singing just because she could.

The doctor smirked, "Well, that's a good sign; she knows our names"

As Nami languished under the attentive gazes of Robin and Law, her memory slowly began to churn up snippets of the recent past events: The pale yellow sun dress that had initially caught her eye in the store window and then the first inkling of trouble as the light was blocked out from behind her. The ape of a man that grinned at her when she had turned around and her own startled gasp as she had realized that she was surrounded by a group of surly-looking men. Her blood had been pounding in her ears as the initial rush from her attackers and the sound of her packages as they fell open on the cobblestones at her feet beat a melody of despair. Practice allowed her hand to quickly find and snap her Clima-Tact to its full length. It's sudden and strange appearance had given the men pause, but they had quickly recovered and continued towards her. The hesitation had been all she'd needed and as a lightning bolt slammed into the man closest to her and held him, twitching, the first rays of hope started to lend her a quiet boldness. Those near the charred man had backed away and eyed her with a new uncertainty and it was, perhaps, this initial upheaval of their intentions that had provoked the ape man into punching her. She had neither heard nor felt him drawing near- there had been a curse and then he had simply appeared; or rather his fist had. She had had only a brief moment to be shocked at his unexpected proximity before white light had exploded behind her eyes and washed away all other sensation. Her mind moved on to the trip back to the Sunny in Sanji's arms and came at last to rest on the horrifying memory of her imprisonment in her own unresponsive body.

The pounding ache and pressure that had filled her head to bursting was gone and in its place was a hollow dizziness that made her glad that Law had a hold of her. At that moment, she was having a hard time telling if it was her swimming head or the water beneath the Sunny that was making the room move. As the Heart captain started to ease her back down onto the pillow, she remembered how he had somehow known that she was there- listening and pleading just beneath the surface. Into the cold darkness that had threatened to swallow her completely, his voice had called out and acknowledged her hovering awareness, and now, though weak, she was back to normal- it was a relief that rivaled her elation at being freed from Arlong.

With a burst of stubborn strength that had often coaxed a rueful grin from Zoro, Nami pulled away from his hands and threw her arms around his torso; forcing a startled breath from the Heart doctor. The room had done a wicked cartwheel at her sudden movement, and Nami's hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt at his back as she clumsily pressed her face against his chest. The spinning subsided against the solid foundation beneath her forehead and gathering a breath, she spoke into the soft cotton at her lips:

"How did you know?"

A moment of stunned silence reigned in the room.

"Fufufu", Robin's soft, toothless laugh carried the full weight of her relief and the pressure on Nami's knee increased briefly as the older woman rose and walked discretely away.

Law had gone completely still and silent- he wasn't even breathing as he looked down at the orange-haired woman latched onto him. His black shirt was missing the usual flamboyant sprout of feathers at the collar and the fabric smelled fresh and comfortingly male. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Nami heard her own voice chiding that this was not proper, nor like her at all, but she didn't care- she had been in a prison in her own head; unable to speak, see, or even move and this man had noticed that; noticed and opened the way out. Underneath her face, Law's heart was beating a swift tempo.

The doctor inhaled and quickly gathered his wits. Bringing one arm around behind to support her quickly weakening frame, he said,

"How did I know what, Nami-ya?"

He gently took hold of one arm and not unkindly detached her from around his chest. The arm that supported her back slipped quickly up and cradled her head as he lowered her back down to the pillow. Light from what must have been a brilliant sunset made an orange halo for his black, spiky hair and her weary mind likened it to a raven. Her eyelids drooped and a few sounds slurred as her burst of strength swiftly began to wane.

"How did you know…tha' I could hear you?

Law's eyes widened in surprise and then a rare, soft smile curved the corners of his mouth. As he slowly blinked she couldn't help but think that the appraising stare he was giving her now had nothing to do with doctoring.

"It's just experience. I've seen that type of injury before, Nami-ya."

She couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and they closed of their own accord; blocking the view of the doctor. Her mind slowly began casting off its ties to awareness and the soft pillow closed around her head as Law removed his hand. Silence reigned. Then, softly, and in a voice that still transmitted his smile:

"You did well; get some rest."

Before she drifted off, content with the knowledge that she could perceive and communicate again with those around her, a light touch traced a gentle path down her cheek.

* * *

When Nami opened her eyes again, it was full night and bright moonlight was pouring through the window to make a silver dot on the wooden floor. The evening was quiet and calm and the sea was handling the Sunny so gently that only the salty tang on the air hinted that they were near a body of water at all. Nami was warm and relaxed and lay curled on her good side with a blanket pulled up to her shoulders. The swirling dizziness that had greeted her upon her first waking was gone and all of her senses which before had been steadily withdrawing from the sphere of her willful manipulation, now felt firmly tethered to her again. Tentatively, she reached up to her head where a fist had connected hours earlier and found bandages covering the area.

At her movement, a figure that she hadn't noticed before shifted and a head turned in her direction. Law had pulled up a plush chair beside the bed and had been sitting perfectly still; that combined with his raven hair and dark shirt comprised a nearly perfect camouflage. From the way that he blinked as he looked at her, eyes widening slightly as he took in her hand hovering near her temple, Nami was sure that he had been dozing. A doctor's keen instincts, however, allowed him to only drop into a light sleep when he had a needy patient and he had quickly awoken at Nami's stirrings. Reaching over, the Heart captain gently gripped her narrow wrist and allowed the weight of his own hand to bring hers back down onto the blanket.

"No touching, Nami-ya. Your cook threatened me with the fifth level of hell if I didn't ensure that all possible scarring was avoided."

Law's grey eyes were slightly lidded and a sleepy smirk tugged almost absentmindedly at one corner of his mouth as he analyzed her. Nami smiled at the man that had, just several hours ago, saved her life.

"Law, thank you. I owe my life to you"

He closed his eyes as he huffed, his relaxed smile broadening, as he allowed his head to sink back against the chair, "You're not the first Straw Hat that's said that to me"

He wallowed in the chair's stuffing for a few moments before sitting up and rubbing his face to drive away the last vestiges of his nap.

"Not the first, but definitely the cutest- even with five stitches."

Nami gasped- her mind immediately divided over Law's cheeky compliment and the fact that she had earned herself what amounted to five railroad ties across her formerly flawless temple. She decided to ignore the first and acting on her new found state of well-being, she leveraged herself up to glare at the Heart captain:

"Five stitches? That's a bit extravagant isn't it? If there is scaring, Sanji will be the least of your worries!"

He regarded her for a brief moment before smirking and pushing his lanky frame out of the chair. Squaring his feet he stretched, reaching high towards the ceiling and closing his eyes in relief as cramped muscles rejoiced at the movement. He stayed splayed for a few moments, allowing every muscle the opportunity to unwind before lacing his hands behind his head and settling his weight back on his hips. The Straw Hats' navigator found herself enjoying the show as his flexed chest pulled the fabric taunt across the front while simultaneously gathering it close to the small of his back. Nami began to chide herself mentally, when the black shirt pulled up just enough at his waist to reveal the beginnings of finely chiseled abs.

Who cared if he was the captain of another crew- there was nothing wrong with appreciating something that deserved it. So long as she kept it to herself, of course.

Nami's eyes shot back to his face guiltily as he finished the stretch and spoke,

"If you have enough energy to make threats, then you should be fine for a light meal. Your cook will practically orgasm at the chance to be of some service to you; he's been a pain all evening- checking in every hour to ask if you've woken yet"

As Law bent to retrieve the plate he had eaten his own dinner off of, a cloud drifted in front of the moon and the brilliant light in the room dimmed, plunging everything into a deep gloom. Familiar objects disappeared into shadow and even the figure of Law blended into obscurity. Once again, Nami was alone in the dark, and though she knew that Law was only a few feet away and that nothing had changed except for the light, horrible memories of her helpless, lonely entrapment inside of her own head leapt at her from the encroaching darkness and made her mouth go dry. Without thinking, she reached out into the void and groped until she found Law's narrow wrist. Latching onto it as if the doctor was a very lifeline, she shuddered as sudden anxiety washed over her.

"Don't leave"

Law stilled and in the darkness, she felt him turn his head to regard her. Though the night was warm, Nami felt chilled as the fears of being forever alone in the dark, unable to reach out and unable to be reached, crashed back in on her. Her hand that was gripping Law's wrist had a fine tremor to it and was squeezing hard enough that she felt his pulse under the pads of several of her fingers. She didn't care. He was warm and terror had implanted ice in her chest. In that moment, she needed someone to be aware and acknowledge that she _existed_.

"Nami-ya?"

The voice seemed to come from far away and as the panic gained momentum, her voiced name seemed to echo and come from nowhere in particular. Nami knew and trusted her nakama explicitly- even Usopp, the crew's own designated chicken heart, would act at the cost of his life to help her, and yet that period of time when she had been rendered helpless to respond had raked its claws across her psyche. She remembered the uncertainty that had given Sanji and Zoro's voices an edge to them when she wouldn't wake. Robin too had quickly grasped the situation and Nami had felt her hand shake when the other woman had cupped the back of her head while she languished in Sanji arm's. They had all known it then; that they were separated, and that for all of their strength and cunning, nothing that they could do would bridge that gulf.

"Nami"

Her panicked mind brought to remembrance the sound of Sanji pacing at the foot of her bed in the infirmary, asking incessantly why she wouldn't wake up. Her breath came in quick gasps and her chest tightened at the remembered sound of the infirmary door closing behind Robin and Sanji as they had left the sick room. She wanted to cry out after them not to leave her- she was _right_ _there_- she couldn't stand to lose family again! Why had they left her alone- given up on her in that room? Left her all alone with…with…

"Nami!"

The navigator's eyes snapped open and immediately met Law's gray gaze. She considered him for only a moment before the fact that the moon was once again shining unhindered through the porthole consumed her whole waking realization. Objects around the room had redefined themselves and the silver glow that was reflected off of the shiny floorboards had chased the shadows back into the deepest of crevasses. Nami was trembling and her breaths still came in short, quick bursts. She flinched as thumbs grazed her cheekbones gently and Law's even, calm voice spoke.

"Nami, look at me"

Her large brown eyes obediently moved until they found and locked onto Law's own. The silver light spilling in from the window had an interesting effect on the doctor's rare, stormy shade of pupil. In this light, if one didn't look at them straight on, they almost appeared blue. Nami had always silently admired Law's eyes and found it quite easy to do as he had asked. She realized that he was kneeling and was resting his weight on his elbows on the bed. He cradled her head in his hands, the left one carefully avoiding the injured area of her temple. Her right hand still gripped his wrist and was now squeezing with a white-knuckled intensity that must have hurt. Law ignored it and spoke again, gently tightening his fingers around the sides of her face to maintain her attention.

"What's my name, Nami-ya?"

She frowned slightly, confused at the sudden, basic question, "Torao…"

Law shook his head, "My real name, Nami-ya. Say my real name."

Nami understood then that he was probing for a neurological cause to her sudden attack. She drew in a deep breath and felt the rhythm of her hammering heart start to slow.

"Trafalgar. Trafalgar Law." Though she figured that he was more interested in hearing her come up with and pronounce his longer and more unusual surname, she included his first as well in an effort to show him that she was fully and mentally present.

The tension in his face relaxed and his eyes swept over her once again before he reached up and brushed sweaty strands of hair off of her forehead and away from her bandage.

"You're hard on the medical profession, you know that, Nami-ya?"

Nami smiled weakly, and dropped her eyes as Law withdrew his hands and shifted to stand. The doctor looked as though he intended to speak, but instead, frowned when her death grip on his wrist didn't let go. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly resettled his weight to remain kneeling by her side.

"Mind telling me what happened?"

To say that Nami felt embarrassed at that moment was an understatement. It had taken Luffy an enormous amount of patience and effort to coax her into asking for his help with Arlong and now here she was clinging like a child fresh out of a night terror to a man who was, for all intensive purposes, still every bit of a stranger to her. When it came down to it, Nami may have had her fits of survival instinct flare-ups, but this kind of cold-sweat, weak-kneed terror was unknown to her. Tangible enemies she could deal with. Put a snarling pirate or a marine in front of her and she knew exactly what to do. This fear was a new monster however, and it stayed well in the shadows and out of her reach.

Law seemed to sense her inner battle with her pride. His ability to read her so well was unnerving to her strong sense of self-reliance; not only because he had so easily found his way around her carefully constructed inner wall, but also because his ability to do so pointed to the fact that he had likely been studying and giving her defenses a good bit of thought for a while.

The Heart Captain was a mystery of his own; one that she couldn't claim the same skill at cracking as he obviously could her. She knew enough of him however, to understand that the man had boundaries to his person and limits to his tolerance. The fact that neither of these two matched wills had yet said or moved to act on the fact that the Straw Hat navigator was still gripping his wrist tightly spoke volumes into the quiet that filled the infirmary.

Law seemed content to wait her out so Nami swallowed and opted for a compromise that she hoped would sail by his radar while preserving her self-image at the same time.

"Sorry- I just didn't want to be left alone. I guess those guys from earlier still have me a bit shaken"

It sounded lame even to her own ears, but it was technically the truth; she _didn't _want to be left alone. In fact, she was horrified at the very thought of being left alone right now. Her pirate family was one of the best things that had happened to her and the injury that had separated her from them was showing her just how much she actually feared ever being torn from them again. The helplessness and loneliness seemed to be a beast crouching just out of sight, waiting only for the opportunity for her to be alone again to pounce.

She forced her stiff fingers to release his wrist and although the hollow fear inside her ached from the sudden loss of the comforting touch of another human, she pasted a smile on her face, just as she had a hundred other times before and tried to say what she thought Law would want to hear.

"Come to think of it, I am hungry- I haven't had a meal since early this morning. I'm sure I'll feel better once I've had a chance to eat and walk around a bit." Cocking her head in what she hoped was a disarming manner; she smiled and finally met Law's eyes again.

The doctor regarded her silently, his intelligent gray eyes cold as he digested what she had just said to him. Nami felt uncomfortable and immediately guilty underneath their scrutiny. The unblinking slate gaze seemed to question if she really expected him to believe the story that she had just dished out.

Keeping his face neutral, Law exhaled thoughtfully and tilted his head in a gesture mockingly similar to the one she had just pulled on him; the meaning wasn't lost on Nami as he challenged her lie

"That would indeed have been understandable were the explanation coming from anyone other than you, Nami-ya. You can't really expect me to believe that someone who rushed back to attack Monet head-on, left her crew in order to betray Gold Lion Shiki, stood her ground with Jora, and had a mouth battle with Marine Commander Tashigi, would suddenly become so incapacitated at a ragged group of small-time pirates who only have a leaky sloop to their name and no better idea to advance themselves than by attacking a lone woman for a log pose that they probably have no idea how to use anyway."

Law looked down then and Nami followed his gaze, thrown off balance by his observant speech. Law slid his hand across the soft comforter until his fingertips touched the clenched hand that had so recently been latched onto it. Nami glanced quickly at the wrist and swallowed guiltily at the glaring red marks she had left. He forced his fingers gently under her palm until the hand opened and then laced his fingers with hers. Drawing the captive hand back towards himself, he pressed the back of it against his chest and over his heart, and wrapped the other hand around her wrist in another mimicking gesture. His gaze focused on her again and she was startled to see a deadly serious intent burning there.

"Unless that group threatened you in some other way that we aren't aware of yet..", cold grey eyes flashed ominously, "why don't you spare both of our intellects and simply tell me what could have unnerved a stubborn woman like yourself so badly as to bring on a panic attack?"

Well crap.

So much for sailing past his radar; Nami wasn't sure that her ship had even managed to raise its anchor.

The comforting touch of another human being was back again and it was disarming her more quickly than she cared to admit. Her ability to throw the difficulties of life over her shoulder and continue running on alone had lagged from disuse during her time with the Straw Hats. Even though it belonged to a member of another pirate crew, the heartbeat under her hand spoke of steady life and the promise that she wasn't alone. Law rubbed one thumb along her bare wrist in a comforting gesture and she realized suddenly that she had been her own downfall in this situation- he was cleverly offering her back what she had instinctively reached out for in the first place: contact. Her stunned silence and the fact that he had been allowed to retain possession of her hand told them both very plainly that the gig was up.

"I have all night and all day, Nami-ya. My crew won't set sail until I tell them." His easy smile was back, no doubt attempting to further coax her into talking to him.

Nami watched him and struggled. She wanted nothing more than to unburden the fear of being alone again that her injury had saddled her with. The strong and stubborn part of her that had developed during the long years under Arlong warred with her giddy emotions, though. She was a pirate. Death had a tendency of following people in her profession around. She had to be realistic with herself and the lifestyle that she had chosen.

Her inner turmoil betrayed her resolve, however, and as a warm tear trailed down her cheek, she gritted her teeth and surprised herself by growling in frustration. Law remained tactfully silent and ran light fingers in circles around her prominent wrist bone.

What would it matter if she told him her fears? He didn't have any vested interest in her aside from their crews' alliance so he was probably playing the part of concerned doctor to help his ally's navigator regain full health. As far as she was concerned, he was taking his role to the extreme right now, but as he didn't seem to be willing to yield one way or the other and he possessed an uncanny ability to ferret out her untruths, she decided to bare her fears to him.

Fine.

Tell him how being unable to communicate due to her head injury had made her feel as though she were losing her family all over again. Tell him then how the darkness and being left alone reminded her of that and was making her anxious to stay near a warm body to acknowledge and be acknowledged by. That was simple enough- just say it step by step. Agree before he could even suggest that it was a stupid notion unbecoming of a crew member of the Straw Hat Pirates and get on with it! And get out from underneath that stormy gray gaze that had her pinned down.

As she ran down those points in her mind, massaging the ideas into coherent statements that she could give to the waiting doctor, the raw reality of just how the fears were tearing at the very heart of what she held most dear hit her.

The image of Law before her swam as tears she could no longer hold back, pooled and overflowed. The dark tattoos on the hand wrapped around her wrist stood out a moment longer than the rest of the watery image before she closed her eyes and dropped her head.

"I could hear everything that everyone was saying, but I couldn't do anything about it. Sanji-kun, Luffy, Zoro, Robin- I could hear them all- I could _feel_ them all, but I couldn't reach them!"

Nami took a deep breath and in a manner more befitting her days as a street wraith gathering money, sucked up the snot that had threatened to start mingling with her tears. Her face burned, but the grip on her hand was cool and remained steady, giving her the grounding she needed to continue.

"They were right there, but were so far away- it was like Arlong all over again- my village, my family, so close, but separated. And nothing- I could do NOTHING to get to where they were. And I was so afraid that they'd give up on me because I didn't answer them."

The gentle motions on her hand stopped, but the trembling navigator went on without noticing. Nami's voice, which had risen in volume and acquired a slight undertone of hysteria now dropped suddenly to almost a whisper

"I don't want to wake up and find that I've been trapped again- separated from them. I don't want to be in the dark- I don't want to lose my family and be alone again …not again…"

The edge of the bed sank and the wrist that was trapped in Law's hold was gently, but firmly pulled forward. Nami's bleary eyes shot open in time to see Law's other hand briefly block the light from the port hole before it cupped the back of her head and guided it to rest against the same spot that she had pressed against at her first wakening. A hard chin rested on the crown of her head, pinning it in place and for a few moments, all Nami took in was the rhythmic thump of the doctor's heart and the smell of warm cotton. Surprise had chased away the nameless anxiety and through the tears that were still tracing the contours of her face, embarrassed shock grew to further keep it at bay.

Before Nami could gather her staggered breaths to form words, Law spoke.

"Does this sound like you're alone?"

Though she couldn't see his face, she could feel through every point of contact between her body and his that Law's demeanor had changed. He wasn't responding to her as a doctor and this confused her more than her own phobic episode.

"Nami-ya, there will always be darkness; both of mind and body- it can never be avoided entirely. If you only focus on the darkness, though, it will consume and destroy you and then you truly will be alone- those around you, no matter how close they are, won't even be able to reach you."

Still resting against his chest, Nami's eyes searched the darkness in confusion at what she was hearing. Frowning, she raised her hands and gripping his arms, pushed away. The hand at the back of her head gave easily at the resistance and she sat back to regard the slim man before her.

"That….I never would have expected something like that to come from you. It was almost poetic."

Law huffed, "I am an educated, man, Nami-ya. Don't let the death tattoos fool you."

Nami regarded Law intently. In Nami's experience, there were two types of poetry; that which came from the mind and had very little import besides the space which it took up on the paper and the other which sprang from the heart. The first kind, though not necessarily worthless, didn't usually deal with the weightier things that the second did. That which sprang from the heart had its basis in memories and experience; in joy and sorrow, and in lessons gleaned from the various circumstances that life brought. Though he may not have meant his statement as a form of prose, Nami heard its origins just as surely as she had the rhythmic thump through his chest.

Her own worries receded to the far back ground of her mind as concern for the implications of Law's statement took center stage.

"What darkness taught you this?"

Law frowned, "Darkness? What do you mean?"

Nami wiped moisture from her cheek and narrowed her eyes at Law. His manner was all disarming now, but she had seen the shock that had briefly lit his grey eyes at her question.

"You learned that the hard way- I could hear it"

Waving her comment away, Law rose.

"There was nothing to it, Nami-ya. It's common knowledge that thinking positively helps in times of trouble- the silver lining in the cloud- isn't that what they say?"

Turning his back towards her, Law started walking towards the door, "I'll go to the kitchen and ask Black leg-ya to get something light for you to eat." Law caught her involuntary glance at the porthole and quickly added, "It won't take long."

Nami watched as the slim man drew ever closer to the infirmary door, all the while seeing the hope of continuing the conversation growing weaker by the minute. Casting about mentally for something that would at least stop him, Nami fumed. Her hand clutched the blanket as his words burned in her ears- it had been comforting, but she was sure that he had paid a price to learn those words. Looking at Law's retreating form, Nami said the first thing that came to mind.

"Law! Get your skinny ass back here!"

Her outburst had the desired effect. The Heart doctor stopped and rounded where he stood, eyebrows arched high on his forehead in surprise.

"Ski…what?!"

Acting quickly at his hesitation, Nami threw her covers back and sliding her feet to the floor, acted as though she were about to get up. The doctor in Law responded instantly and he amended his course to return to her.

"Wait Nami-ya, your equilibrium may still be off a little-"

Law's long stride carried him back to the bedside quickly and as soon as he was in reach Nami latched on to his upper arms and leveraged herself up. Surprised, Law stiffened as she straightened to her full height and leaned slightly forward so that her weight pressed into him. He was obliged to quickly bend his arms to grasp her own from underneath as she tipped over her center of gravity. Tilting her face to smile up at him triumphantly, Nami spoke.

"Then make sure that I don't fall"

Nami enjoyed the various expressions of shock that she was able to elicit from most men as they realized that she had taken or trapped them in some way. Law's face followed the same pattern as the many men that had encountered the sharp wit of the copper-headed woman before him, but as Nami watched, she was intrigued to realize that even as the Dark Doctor reeled from her surprising behavior, he was at the same time, quickly gathering his composure and forming an escape plan. The man could keep up in a mental footrace.

Instead of being frozen in place, too scared to move lest he somehow fail to support her, Law tightened his grip and gently, but firmly walked her back to the bed. Though slim, the man could easily steer her lighter frame and as she felt the edge of the bed bump against her calves, she fisted the bunched folds of fabric on his arms.

A twinge of irritation ghosted across his angular face but he remained still.

"Let go, Nami-ya."

She shook her head and tightened her grip.

"The bed is right behind you; all you have to do is sit down. Let go and I'll lower you."

"No."

"Nami-ya-"

"Tell me."

Law frowned, "What?"

"Tell me where what you said came from."

"Nami-ya, there's no need to read anything into it, I told you that it's common knowl-"

"What you said came from you- from your own history; not some kind of folk knowledge."

The muscles in Nami's hands were going numb with the effort that it took to keep the fabric of his shirt firmly between them and she knew that it was only a matter of time before she had to let go. Purpose backed by a stubborn focus gave her the last bit of blackmail that she needed.

"It's been almost an hour hasn't it? It's about time for Sanji to check on me. I think that I could hang on until he gets here; it would be bad for you if he found us like this, though."

A scandalized twitch jerked at his left eye, and a 'tch' hissed from his clenched teeth as Law considered the possibilities.

Pushing gently on his arms for emphasis, Nami drew the grey eyes back to her once more as she rallied all of her persuasive skills.

"I told you what was going on in my head- now I want to know what's going on in yours."

Law sighed and looked away, "That was a bit different- your health was compromised."

He was silent for a long moment, then, in a soft voice added, " Besides….It's a long story."

In his words, Nami discerned both a longing and a reluctance to be heard. Years of silently carrying her own sorrows under the sharp gaze of Arlong had made her desperate for a listening ear. No matter how hard she had pushed others away, there had still been that longing- that heartbreaking need for just one ear to hear her story. Captain and supernova and former Shichibukai he may be, but at that moment, Nami could only see the rare view of bare humanity that had slipped through his ridged mask and the navigator was determined not to let it hide away again so easily.

"I want to hear it."

The grey eyes that found hers were hard with skepticism and narrowed in the way that usually drove any under its scrutiny into an involuntary step backwards. Nami met his gaze boldly.

"I'm serious."

She stared resolutely as he searched her for any hint of insincerity or deceit. Nami had had no delusions that asking Law to reveal such a personal part of him would not be met with easy success- their time together on Punk Hazard and Dressrosa had been enough to teach her about his guarded nature- but she was still surprised at the fierce and defensive wall that she was now facing.

Slowly, the tension leeched out of Law's eyes as he reached a silent conclusion and he leaned away slightly to take in the whole of her. Firming his hold under her arms he stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"If I tell you my past, will you get back into bed?"

"Yes. And you won't go running off the second that I'm under the covers?"

Law regarded her severely, "I told you that I'd tell you my past."

Nami grinned and tilted her head coyly. "Good! I'd chase you down if you tried it anyway"

Releasing a terse breath, Law muttered, "Undoubtedly"

Sparing a glance over his shoulder at the porthole, Law assured himself of the absence of the Straw Hat's protective cook, before firming his hold on the undersides of her arms.

"Let's get you settled, then."

* * *

**November 4, 2014**


End file.
